Matt Smith has a striking new look in his latest movie, which he discussed in a recent exclusive interview. Smith stars in Darren Aronofsky’s Caught Stealing as the neighbor of Austin Butler’s protagonist, who asks the neighborly favor of watching his cats for a few days, resulting in Butler’s Hank getting caught up in a dangerous criminal adventure.

Smith is most famous for his turn as The Doctor of Doctor Who, while also gaining notoriety for playing Prince Philip in the first era of Netflix’s The Crown, as well as taking on the role of the renegade Prince Daemon Targaryen in the more recent Game of Thrones prequel House of the Dragon.

The latter role has Smith going through an extensive hairstyling process to achieve the Targaryen silver-blonde locks. On the other hand, as Caught Stealing‘s Russ, Smith sports an orange and yellow mohawk. During an interview with ScreenRant‘s Liam Crowley and Caught Stealing co-star Regina King, the work that goes into Russ’ hairstyle was discussed.

Check out Smith’s comments from the interview below:

EXCLUSIVE: ScreenRant: Whose hair is more difficult to maintain? Russ or Daemon Targaryen?

Matt Smith: Don’t get me started. Russ’ is probably easier, man.

ScreenRant: It’s a lot of products, a lot. Lot of texturizing paste.

Matt Smith: But once I was done, I was done, man.

Regina King: You don’t have to keep touching.

Matt Smith: Yeah, yeah. But they glue my hair up. They would glue that stuff. It’s like if you’d have taken a flame to me, man, I was either taking off or burning up. You know what I’m saying?

ScreenRant: 30 minutes in the shower just getting all the stuff out.

Matt Smith: Yeah, yeah. It’s weeks. Even a bloody brillo brush on that.

What Matt Smith’s Comments Mean For Caught Stealing

Essentially, Russ’ hairstyle may be outrageous, but once Smith is out of hair and makeup, the look will hold together. Meanwhile, every actor playing a Targaryen character is likely being constantly touched up on set so that their wig looks natural, as well as unnaturally sleek, considering they are all riding dragons into battle.

But doubtlessly, such efforts are essential to the character, and makeup artists do their part to enable the actors’ best work; to help them get into character. As Caught Stealing is a movie with some action (including Russ getting hit with a baseball bat) that more than likely has a lower budget than House of the Dragon, Smith’s hair being indestructible would help streamline production.

Our Take On Matt Smith’s Caught Stealing Hairstyle

Based on Caught Stealing‘s early reactions and trailer, it captures the essence of New York in the 1990s through the exaggerated lens of a crime comedy action movie. The boldest styles of the time are on display, and the gritty underground of the city is taken to comedic extremes when the main characters find themselves in unlikely but very entertaining circumstances.

Of course, viewers are taken aback by Russ’ look simply because they know it is Matt Smith, and it differs drastically from his typically suave and old-fashioned characters. Aside from excellent writing and directing, reviews also note great performances, and it is the actors’ willingness to commit to their wacky roles that will make Caught Stealing a campy and thrilling hit.